While many cancers have been found to be linked to diet, it is still unclear if what — or how much — you eat affects your risk of testicular cancer.

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Many cancers have direct links to what and how much you eat. But do your food choices affect your risk of developing testicular cancer?

Due to a dearth of research on the subject, the jury is still out, says Stephen Boorjian, MD, assistant professor in urologic oncology and a surgeon at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “Although people have investigated various things, there isn’t anything that’s been reproducible that’s been shown" to increase testicular cancer risk, says Dr. Boorjian.

Testicular Cancer and Diet: Is There a Link?

Because the most common form of testicular cancer is due to problems stemming from early development, studies have looked at diet during infancy and childhood as well as what an adult ate the few years before testicular cancer develops.

A few studies suggest that drinking milk and eating some dairy products may increase the risk of developing testicular cancer. One study found that men who eat a lot of cheese are at increased risk of testicular cancer. However, another study showed that men who ate a lot of yogurt had a slightly decreased risk of testicular cancer, maybe because yogurt contains probiotics, a type of good bacteria.

Another study looked at a wide variety of foods, including meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy products. They found that adolescents who ate high amounts of milkfat and those who ate a lot of foods containing a type of sugar called galactose — found in cream, butter, cheese, and more — had a higher risk for developing one particular type of testicular cancer, called a seminoma, between the ages of 15 and 34.

The researchers suggest that the cause may have something to do with the high estrogen content found in these products, since most milk is taken from pregnant cows. That didn’t happen much 100 years ago, when most milk came from cows after they gave birth — and it could be a clue to the rising incidences of testicular cancer in the last 25 years, some experts speculate.

This study, however, didn’t consider sedentary lifestyle and obesity, both of which have been linked to testicular cancer. Could it be that inactive men tend to consume more dairy products — in other words, that being idle is the link, and not the food? It is still unclear.

Testicular Cancer and Diet: How Much You Eat Matters

Maybe the link isn’t with what you eat, but how much you eat.

The logic goes like this: The incidence of testicular cancer has been rising, primarily in Western countries. So too has the number of people considered overweight or obese.

But during and just after World War II, there was a decreased incidence of testicular cancer, when food was scarcer. Food is more plentiful now.

Some researchers think that the reproductive cells — the ones that develop into testicular cancer — get altered during pregnancy or early infancy because of a high-calorie diet.

And, in an obesity-related study involving more than 8,000 men with testicular cancer, researchers found that men between the ages of 18 and 29 who were considered obese had a significantly increased incidence of testicular cancer.

Testicular Cancer and Diet: The Height Connection

Your height may also affect your risk of testicular cancer — and nutrition in infancy, as well as genetics, determines height.

One study that looked at a large group of men 18 to 19 years of age (6,415 with testicular cancer, 38,490 without) found a significant higher incidence of testicular cancer according to height. This connection began at the height of 5 feet, 9 inches and became even more significant as height increased, especially for those over 6 feet, 4 inches. The opposite was true for men under 5 feet, 5 inches, who had a lower risk of testicular cancer. It’s important to remember these researchers only investigated 18- and 19-year-olds; incidences of testicular cancer may differ for those who are older.

So perhaps diet does play a role in testicular cancer, or maybe a man's risk of testicular cancer has nothing to do with diet at all. The bottom line: Researchers still don't know for sure. But what is known is that eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight may help prevent many cancers and other serious health problems. So whether or not it prevents testicular cancer, everyone should do what he can to eat right and stay fit.

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